FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Three women and three men, including a blind pianist from Japan, have advanced to the finals of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Cliburn officials announced the six finalists on May 31. They are Di Wu and Haochen Zhang of China, Nobuyuki Tsujii of Japan, Yeol Eum Son of South Korea, Evgeni Bozhanov of Bulgaria, and Mariangela Vacatello of Italy.
Cliburn officials initially said Tsujii was the competition’s first blind competitor but recently were reminded about a blind pianist who didn’t advance past the first round in 1973.
Awards will be presented on Sunday, June 6, after each finalist performs two concerts with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and a solo recital in the final round. ♦